Samsung’s new 108MP Image Sensor is now the Largest Sensor for Smartphones – Still Smaller than Nokia 808 PureView’s

Samsung has today introduced 108MP ISOCELL Bright HMX mobile image sensor – the industry’s first to go beyond 100 million pixels. The Korean tech giant built this sensor in close collaboration with Xiaomi, hinting the image sensor to ship first in a Xiaomi smartphone.

The new 108MP image sensor features the same pixel size of 0.8μm as of recently announced ultra-high 64MP. Samsung notes that the new sensor has a resolution “equivalent to that of a high-end DSLR camera.”

Samsung also told that the new ISOCELL Bright HMX is the result of close collaboration between Xiaomi Corp. and Samsung. With over 100 million effective pixels, it can enable extremely sharp photographs. It can also produce exceptional photos even in extreme lighting conditions.

“Being the first mobile image sensor to adopt a large 1/1.33-inch size, the HMX can absorb more light in low-lit settings than smaller sensors and its pixel-merging Tetracell technology allows the sensor to imitate big-pixel sensors, producing brighter 27Mp images. “

While this is now the only mobile image sensor to have a large 1/1.33-inch size, it still remains behind Nokia 808 PureView’s 40MP 1/1.2-inch sensor size.

Samsung’s new 108MP sensor features Smart-ISO, that chooses the right level of amplifier gains according to the environment’s illumination and switches to a low ISO to optimize light-to-electric signal conversion and improve pixel saturation in bright environments. The feature uses a high ISO in darker settings that helps reduce noise, resulting in clearer pictures.

For advanced filming, the HMX supports video recording without losses in field-of-view at resolutions up to 6K (6016 x 3384) 30fps.

Mass production for Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX will begin later this month.

Press Statements

Lin Bin, co-founder and president of Xiaomi, said in a statement:

“For ISOCELL Bright HMX, Xiaomi and Samsung have worked closely together from the early conceptual stage to production that has resulted in a groundbreaking 108Mp image sensor. We are very pleased that picture resolutions previously available only in a few top-tier DSLR cameras can now be designed into smartphones. As we continue our partnership, we anticipate bringing not only new mobile camera experiences but also a platform through which our users can create unique content.”

Yongin Park, executive vice president of sensor business at Samsung Electronics, said:

“Samsung is continuously pushing for innovations in pixel and logic technologies to engineer our ISOCELL image sensors to capture the world as close to how our eyes perceive them. Through close collaboration with Xiaomi, ISOCELL Bright HMX is the first mobile image sensor to pack over 100 million pixels and delivers unparalleled color reproduction and stunning detail with advanced Tetracell and ISOCELL Plus technology.”